Even as the world economy skids, pearls remain popular.
Maybe that’s
because in times of crisis, we find comfort in tradition and investment
classics like cultured pearls. Pearls lift us up and bring elegance to
everyday life.

Pearls are organic gems, of course. But in this time of ecological sensitivity,
can we enjoy our pearls and the environment too? Is there an ecological
price for pearl production?

While researching the answer to that question, I’ve drawn on my
30 years as a pearl importer and wholesaler and two recent GIA cultured
pearl tours of the South Pacific and Asia. What I’ve learned is that
the environmental impact of pearl culturing and how the environment affects
the pearls in return varies depending on the type of pearl.

SALTWATER ENVIRONMENTALISTS

Saltwater oysters have strict tolerances for growing conditions. As a
result, farms are developed in natural habitats far away from civilization.
Growers prefer remote bays, lagoons, and channels, providing sheltered
areas rich in nutrients and abundant plankton to nurture their crops. Maintaining
the health of surrounding waters is critical to the success of the industry
in Australia, Tahiti, Philippines, Japan, and New Zealand. Pearl farmers
understand that the health of the pearl is an indicator of the state of
the environment.

Quotas for collecting wild stocks effectively protect species of wild
oysters, Pinctada maxima in Australia, and Haliotis iris (abalone) in New
Zealand. In the 1970’s, Japanese pearl farmers became oyster farmers
too, establishing hatchery-bred akoya or Pinctada fucata. Philippine South
Sea golden pearl farmers have also successfully bred their own crop of
Pinctada maxima oysters, since 1989, according to Jacques Branellac, Jewelmer’s
managing director.

From December through March, most farms in Tahiti are on a cleaning cycle
to maintain optimum growing conditions for Pinctada margaritifera. “French
authorities monitor any foreign algae species and go to the spot to determine
origin and set up corrective action,” explains Bruno Wan of Robert
Wan Tahiti.

Roger Beattie, the managing director and owner of Eyris Pearls, funded
a local environmental study and is lobbying the community of Akaroa Harbor
in New Zealand to keep treated sewage “on land and irrigated onto
sustainable forestry, thus reducing the amount of sewage entering the harbor.”

Pearl farmers are often the leaders of the local environmental movement.
They have to be vigilant or the oysters, and pearl quality, will suffer. “All
companies apply the industry environmental code of conduct which manages
waste products from human activity, animal welfare, and vessel movements,” says
Brett McCallum of the Pearl Producers Association, Australia.

Pearls are not all that pearl farms produce. First the farms harvest pearls,
then the shell, and then the meat. Every pearl producing country sells
shells as specimens and uses mother-of-pearl for inlay in furnishings,
craftwork, tableware, accessories, and jewelry. In Japan, ashes from burned
shells and dried meat become fertilizer. Pearl oyster and abalone meat
are often sold both fresh and canned as a delicacy.

Jewelmer takes environmental activism a step further by proactive involvement
with the Philippine government in the Save Palawan Seas Foundation, which
offers the local community assistance in developing skills, modifying environmentally
destructive habits, and education. The goals are to develop opportunities
for economic livelihood while maintaining long-term sustainable use of
the marine and aquatic resources of coastal communities. Pearl farmers
in Japan are also supporting efforts to revive local waters, joining the
local government and citizens in the Council of Revival of Nature in Ago
Bay.

FRESHWATER RIVER KEEPERS

You can think of the mollusks of the Mississippi and Tennessee River systems
as canaries in the ecosystem. Pearl cultivators in the U.S. view monitoring
the environment as an essential part of their responsibilities.

“We keep a close watch on the water quality and content,” says
Gina Latendresse, president of the American Pearl Company. “It is
to our advantage that the waters be in optimal condition for mollusk growth
so we report often and stay in constant contact with governmental agencies.” Once
pearls are harvested, the meat is used as fish bait, an additive to animal
feed, and in composting. Shells are used to make nuclei for pearl cultivation
throughout the world.

The legacy of the Wild West is a memorable part of American history and
culture. China is the new Wild East pulsating with unbridled growth and
expansion, one that has positioned pearls as a commodity accommodating
any and all budgets.

As you travel inland from Shanghai, a patchwork of pearl farms increasingly
blankets the countryside. Although free from state controls since the early
1990’s, China requires that farmers be licensed to cultivate pearls.
Soda bottles recycled as buoys support countless cages of Hyropsis cumingii,
freshwater pearl mussels alongside multistory homes, agricultural fields,
and farms. Byproducts from soybean production mixed with pine tree soil
and chicken or pig manure are poured into the water to grow plankton which
in turn nourishes the mussels.

“Farmers cultivate freshwater pearls for five years. Then they will
let those lakes have a break of one or two years. During this period, those
lakes will be used as fish farms,” says Cheng Tai Po, vice chairman
of the Man Sang Group and director of China Pearl & Jewelry City, a
massive new development in China with the ambition to become the center
for world pearl trading.

At harvest, the complete innards of the mollusk, pearls and all, are scooped
into a pearl sluice. Water is hosed in and the device spins, dislodging
pearls from mantle tissue. After the pearls are separated, salt and detergent
are added to clean the pearls. Bleach and chemicals are used to lighten
and stabilize colors and dye to add new colors. Polishing compounds provide
the finishing touches. The meat is sometimes frozen for feeding fish and
shells are sold to arts and crafts factories. Production is not governed
and there are no regulations controlling disposal of products used for
processing pearls.

With ample labor to work the farms and a compliant and prolific native
mussel that tolerates less than perfect conditions, growers have been able
to cash in on the market potential for Chinese pearls. With many eager
to profit, lakes have become burdened with baskets overloaded with mussels,
fouling waterways.

While laissez-faire is the basic attitude of the government, even they
have been encouraging farmers to make adjustments. With the downturn in
the economy, many have stopped farming and those remaining plan to reduce
pearl cultivation by at least one-third this year. Farmers have cut back
on harvesting and are leaving mussels in the water to grow longer. The
reduction in freshwater pearl production and harvest may give overworked
waterways the time needed to regenerate. Even so, pearl producers in China
will eventually have to address the byproducts of freshwater pearl processing.

In contrast, saltwater mollusks dictate that farmers practice environmental
protection or suffer poor quality yields. Pearl cultivation and its byproducts
are carefully monitored and regulated. Intense efforts are made from Tahiti
to Japan to not leave behind a carbon footprint that would alter the conditions
in which saltwater pearls grow best.

But even with freshwater pearl farming in China, pearls have the potential
to benefit the areas in which they are produced. In contrast to gems and
precious metals, no dynamite is needed to mine, no shafts or holes are
dug, no heavy metals are needed to refine, and there are no “blood
pearls.” The meat can be used for feeding fish and people. Shells
are sold for use in numerous crafts and jewelry. In most cases, virtually
the entire mollusk is used. In the end, we can add “green” to
the endless palette of lustrous pearls.